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7/28/2019 Augustine Confess

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BOOK I: - - - - - - 3

BOOK II: - - - - - - 13

BOOK III: - - - - - 19

BOOK IV: - - - - - 27

BOOK V:- - - - - - 37

BOOK VI: - - - - - 47

BOOK VII:- - - - - 58

BOOK VIII: - - - - 70

BOOK IX: - - - - - 82

BOOK X:- - - - - - 95

BOOK XI: - - - - - 118

BOOK XII:- - - - - 131

BOOK XIII: - - - - 146



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK II:

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vivid remembrance of my soul; alone, I had never committed that

theft wherein what I stole pleased me not, but that I stole; nor had

it alone liked me to do it, nor had I done it. O friendship too

unfriendly! thou incomprehensible inveigler of the soul, thou

greediness to do mischief out of mirth and wantonness, thou thirst

of others’ loss, without lust of my own gain or revenge: but when

it is said, “Let’s go, let’s do it,” we are ashamed not to be shame-

less.

Who can disentangle that twisted and intricate knottiness? Foul is

it: I hate to think on it, to look on it. But Thee I long for, O Righ-teousness and Innocency, beautiful and comely to all pure eyes,

and of a satisfaction unsating. With Thee is rest entire, and life

imperturbable. Whoso enters into Thee, enters into the joy of his

Lord: and shall not fear, and shall do excellently in the All-Excel-

lent. I sank away from Thee, and I wandered, O my God, too

much astray from Thee my stay, in these days of my youth, and I

became to myself a barren land.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK V:



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tions; nor that what I held was therefore to be condemned,

because both sides could be maintained. For the Catholic cause

seemed to me in such sort not vanquished, as still not as yet to be

victorious.

Hereupon I earnestly bent my mind, to see if in any way I could

by any certain proof convict the Manichees of falsehood. Could I

once have conceived a spiritual substance, all their strongholds

had been beaten down, and cast utterly out of my mind; but I

could not. Notwithstanding, concerning the frame of this world,

and the whole of nature, which the senses of the flesh can reach

to, as I more and more considered and compared things, I judgedthe tenets of most of the philosophers to have been much more

probable. So then after the manner of the Academics (as they are

supposed) doubting of every thing, and wavering between all, I

settled so far, that the Manichees were to be abandoned; judging

that, even while doubting, I might not continue in that sect, to

which I already preferred some of the philosophers; to which phi-

losophers notwithstanding, for that they were without the savingName of Christ, I utterly refused to commit the cure of my sick

soul. I determined therefore so long to be a Catechumen in the

Catholic Church, to which I had been commended by my parents,

till something certain should dawn upon me, whither I might steer

my course.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK VII:

ity to the law of sin which is in his members? For, Thou art righ-

teous, O Lord, but we have sinned and committed iniquity, and

h d i k dl d Th h d i h d



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have done wickedly, and Thy hand is grown heavy upon us, and

we are justly delivered over unto that ancient sinner, the king of

death; because he persuaded our will to be like his will whereby

he abode not in Thy truth. What shall wretched man do? who

shall deliver him from the body of his death, but only Thy Grace,

through Jesus Christ our Lord, whom Thou hast begotten co-eter-

nal, and formedst in the beginning of Thy ways, in whom the

prince of this world found nothing worthy of death, yet killed he

Him; and the handwriting, which was contrary to us, was blotted

out? This those writings contain not. Those pages present not theimage of this piety, the tears of confession, Thy sacrifice, a trou-

bled spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, the salvation of the peo-

ple, the Bridal City, the earnest of the Holy Ghost, the Cup of our

Redemption. No man sings there, Shall not my soul be submitted

unto God? for of Him cometh my salvation. For He is my God

and my salvation, my guardian, I shall no more be moved. No one

there hears Him call, Come unto Me, all ye that labour. They

scorn to learn of Him, because He is meek and lowly in heart; forthese things hast Thou hid from the wise and prudent, and hast

revealed them unto babes. For it is one thing, from the mountain’s

shaggy top to see the land of peace, and to find no way thither;

and in vain to essay through ways unpassable, opposed and beset

by fugitives and deserters, under their captain the lion and the

dragon: and another to keep on the way that leads thither,

guarded by the host of the heavenly General; where they spoil not

who have deserted the heavenly army; for they avoid it, as very

torment. These things did wonderfully sink into my bowels, when

I read that least of Thy Apostles, and had meditated upon Thy

works, and trembled exceedingly.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK VIII:

always very far differ from me, for the better, without any turbu-

lent delay he joined me. Thence we go in to my mother; we tell

her; she rejoiceth: we relate in order how it took place; she leaps

for joy, and triumpheth, and blesseth Thee, Who are able to do



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for joy, and triumpheth, and blesseth Thee, Who are able to do

above that which we ask or think; for she perceived that Thouhadst given her more for me, than she was wont to beg by her piti-

ful and most sorrowful groanings. For thou convertedst me unto

Thyself, so that I sought neither wife, nor any hope of this world,

standing in that rule of faith, where Thou hadst showed me unto

her in a vision, so many years before. And Thou didst convert her

mourning into joy, much more plentiful than she had desired, and

in a much more precious and purer way than she erst required, byhaving grandchildren of my body.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK IX:

tuously wound up, or embalmed with spices; nor desired she a

choice monument, or to be buried in her own land. These things

she enjoined us not; but desired only to have her name commem-

orated at Thy Altar, which she had served without intermission of

one day: whence she knew the holy Sacrifice to be dispensed, by

through my prayers, be, through the prayers of many, more abun-

dantly fulfilled to her.



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y y p , ywhich the hand-writing that was against us is blotted out; through

which the enemy was triumphed over, who summing up our

offences, and seeking what to lay to our charge, found nothing in

Him, in Whom we conquer. Who shall restore to Him the inno-

cent blood? Who repay Him the price wherewith He bought us,

and so take us from Him? Unto the Sacrament of which our ran-

som, Thy handmaid bound her soul by the bond of faith. Let none

sever her from Thy protection: let neither the lion nor the dragon

interpose himself by force or fraud. For she will not answer that

she owes nothing, lest she be convicted and seized by the crafty

accuser: but she will answer that her sins are forgiven her by Him,

to Whom none can repay that price which He, Who owed noth-

ing, paid for us.

May she rest then in peace with the husband before and afterwhom she had never any; whom she obeyed, with patience bring-

ing forth fruit unto Thee, that she might win him also unto Thee.

And inspire, O Lord my God, inspire Thy servants my brethren,

Thy sons my masters, whom with voice, and heart, and pen I

serve, that so many as shall read these Confessions, may at Thy

Altar remember Monnica Thy handmaid, with Patricius, her

sometimes husband, by whose bodies Thou broughtest me into

this life, how I know not. May they with devout affection remem-ber my parents in this transitory light, my brethren under Thee

our Father in our Catholic Mother, and my fellow-citizens in that

eternal Jerusalem which Thy pilgrim people sigheth after from

their Exodus, even unto their return thither. That so my mother’s

last request of me, may through my confessions, more than



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK X:

forbadest me, and strengthenedst me, saying, Therefore Christ

died for all, that they which live may now no longer live unto

themselves, but unto Him that died for them. See, Lord, I cast my

care upon Thee, that I may live, and consider wondrous things

out of Thy law. Thou knowest my unskilfulness, and my infirmi-ties; teach me, and heal me. He, Thine only Son, in Whom are hid

all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, hath redeemed me

with His blood. Let not the proud speak evil of me; because I



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with His blood. Let not the proud speak evil of me; because I

meditate on my ransom, and eat and drink, and communicate it;

and poor, desired to be satisfied from Him, amongst those that eat

and are satisfied, and they shall praise the Lord who seek Him.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK XII:

Thou, either reveal that same, or any other true one which Thou

pleasest; that so, whether Thou discoverest the same to us, as to

that Thy servant, or some other by occasion of those words, yet

Thou mayest feed us, not error deceive us. Behold, O Lord my

God, how much we have written upon a few words, how much I

beseech Thee! What strength of ours, yea what ages would sufficefor all Thy books in this manner? Permit me then in these more

briefly to confess unto Thee, and to choose some one true, cer-

tain, and good sense that Thou shalt inspire me, although many

should occur, where many may occur; this being the law my con-

fession, that if I should say that which Thy minister intended, that



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, y w y ,

is right and best; for this should I endeavour, which if I should not

attain, yet I should say that, which Thy Truth willed by his words

to tell me, which revealed also unto him, what It willed.



THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE BOOK XIII:

For then shalt Thou rest in us, as now Thou workest in us; and so

shall that be Thy rest through us, as these are Thy works through

us. But Thou, Lord, ever workest, and art ever at rest. Nor dost

Thou see in time, nor art moved in time, nor restest in a time; and

yet Thou makest things seen in time, yea the times themselves,

and the rest which results from time.

We therefore see these things which Thou madest, because they

are: but they are, because Thou seest them. And we see without,

that they are, and within, that they are good, but Thou sawest

them there, when made, where Thou sawest them, yet to be made.

And we were at a later time moved to do well, after our hearts had

conceived of Thy Spirit; but in the former time we were moved



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conceived of Thy Spirit; but in the former time we were moved

to do evil, forsaking Thee; but Thou, the One, the Good God,didst never cease doing good. And we also have some good

works, of Thy gift, but not eternal; after them we trust to rest in

Thy great hallowing. But Thou, being the Good which needeth no

good, art ever at rest, because Thy rest is Thou Thyself. And

what man can teach man to understand this? or what Angel, an

Angel? or what Angel, a man? Let it be asked of Thee, sought in

Thee, knocked for at Thee; so, so shall it be received, so shall it

be found, so shall it be opened. Amen. - -

GRATIAS TIBI DOMINE

augustine confess

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